Thursday, September 19, 2024

Comics Review: "JONNY QUEST #2" Welcomes an Old Friend

JONNY QUEST VOL. 1 #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Joe Casey
ART: Sebastián Piriz
COLORS: Lorenzo Scaramella
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Chad Hardin
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jae Lee with June Chung; Tom Raney; Richard Pace
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2024)

Rated “Teen”

Jonny Quest created by Doug Wildey

“Jonny Quest” (also known as “The Adventures of Jonny Quest”) was an animated science fiction-adventure television series.  It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the television studio, Screen Gems, and was created and designed by comic book artist, Doug Wildey.  The series ran for one season on ABC (September 1964 to March 1965), on prime time, for a total of 25 episodes

The series focused on a boy, Jonny Quest, who accompanied his scientist father, Dr. Benton Quest, on extraordinary adventures.  The other members of what came to be known as “Team Quest” were Jonny's adopted brother, Hadji Singh; the Quest family bodyguard, Roger “Race” Bannon; and Jonny's pet bulldog, Bandit.

Over the decades, there have been comic books featuring Jonny Quest.  The latest is Jonny Quest Volume 1, which is part of Dynamite Entertainment's recent licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery.  The series is written by Joe Casey; drawn by Sebastian Piriz; colored by Lorenzo Scaramella; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  In the new adventure, Team Quest faces a new world and mission that spans six decades.

Jonny Quest Volume 1 #2 opens on Dr. Zin's version of Marvel's SHIELD helicarrier.  His enemies, Team Quest, have returned, and this time he vows they won't escape.  Now, he prepares to launch another terrifying assault meant to destroy Johnny, Hadji, Race, Dr. Quest, and Bandit.

Meanwhile, Jonny Quest and company have accepted that a freak event has thrown them sixty years forward in time.  If that were not shocking enough, they meet 71-year-old Jonathan Quest, who has built more advanced versions of Dr. Quest's greatest inventions.  Now, Team Quest and Jonathan head to the other side of the world in hopes of gaining the help of a longtime ally.  However, there is no guarantee that once-familiar allegiances still exist.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  Jonny Volume 1 #2 is the latest, but it is not the first Jonny Quest comic book that I have read.

In this new Jonny Quest narrative, writer Joe Casey, artist Sebastian Piriz, colorist Lorenzo Scaramella, and letterer Taylor Esposito summon the classic “Jonny Quest” cool.  The story reads like a Jonny Quest story right out of the 1960s series, completely filled with a sense of mystery, wonder, and discovery.  Even the modern setting does not change that because Casey's writing seems related to the heart of the franchise, so Casey offers a new narrative framed in the classic aesthetic.

Piriz's art and storytelling is true to the original, but both art and storytelling have a clean, modern mood that is like other recent science fiction and adventure comic books.  The coloring by Scaramella adds the finishing modern touch.  Even the lettering summons an old school cool vibe that also radiates a modern sensibility.

Jonny Quest Volume 1 #2 is not filled with as many surprises as the first issue.  However, the second issue proves that the first issue was not a fluke.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Dynamite Entertainment's Warner Bros. comic book series and of Jonny Quest will want to read Jonny Quest Volume 1.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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